Electrolytic cell



June 16, 1925.

Hwtwww H 5 ELECTROLYTI C CELL F. E..HARTMAN ET AL Original Fi1ed March 21, 1922 EEC H Patented June 16, 1925.

FRANK E. HARTMAN 1,541,941 ENT OFFICE.

AND HARRY BUX'I'ON HARTMAN, OF SCOTTDALE, PENNSYL- VANIA, ASSIGNORS TO ELEGTRIC WATER STERILIZER & OZONE COMPANY, OF

SCOTTDALE, PENNSYLVANIA,

Application filed March 21, 1922, Serial t we, FRANK A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTROLYTIC CELL.

E. 'HART- 'HARTMAN, citizens of residing at Scottdale, in

the county of Westmoreland and State of Pennsylvania,

have

invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrolytic Cells, of which the cation.

This invent ment in electrolytic in water purifying following is a specifiion relates to a novel improvecells of the type used apparatus, and more particularly to a novel electrode unit for use in connection therewith.

In the purificat trolytic produce the suspended particles. the electrolytic method tion is dependent upon electrolysls of the process,

mineral matter held definite reactions ion of metallic hydroxides are d for coagulating water by the elecand precipitating In other words, of water purificain solution and certain between component parts of the mineral matter and the metals that serve as the trolytic cell or sists of a number of trodes usually ar and provided with ,the electrode plates are connected to a source the electrodes.

Ordinarily an elecso-called electrode box conmetallicplates or elecranged in stacked relation suitable slot-s or openthe water to traverse the between the plates, a suitable being provided to seal the desired passageway for Two or more of of electrical energy and the current density is then regulated to produce the required amount of hydroxide.

1,101,278 grante 23",

that patent, su coagulation or se filter,

to comp view the more e A cell of the general pc set forth is illustrated in Patent No. d to H. B. Hartman, June 1914, and, as will be understood from itable accessories, such dimentation chamber and are used in connection with the cell lete the purification of the water.

Primarily the present invention fl'ectual production of the has 1n metallic hydroxides which effect the purification of the water, and to that end it is plate electro That is to say,

osed to provide a novel bi-polar and unit which may be armanner as the single de units in the patent referred it is proposed to pro- No. 545,509. Renewed April 3, 1925.

vide a bi-metallic electrode unit which may be arranged in stacked relation to form the cell in such a manner as to produce a more constant quantity of hydroxide that can be produced with ordinary electrode plates, thereby more effectually and expeditiously urifying the water.

With the above and other which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a diagrammatic vertical section showing an electrolytic water-purifying cell embodying the bi-metallic electrodes.

Figure 2 is a plan view showing the several individual elements forming a bi-metallic electrode unit.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of said unit.

Figure 4. is a plan view of a gasket for separating the bi-metalli'c electrodes.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 show various ways of connecting our electrode elements for use with electric current in order to obtain various current strengths.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

As previously indicated it is the purpose of the present invention to provide a novel bi-metallic electrode unit designated generally as A', any desired number of said units being employed to complete the water purligfying cell, which is designated generally as As will be observed from the drawings the characters 5 and 6 respectively designate the top and bottom plates of the cell B, the said plates being clamped together by means of the bolt 7 or the like, which permit of facile assembly of the electrode units A and also permit or easy access to the individual units for purposes of inspection or repair. An influent pipe 8 receives raw water from the mains and this water is discharged through the eiliuent pipe 9 from the cell to a sedimentation tank 10.

objects in view The active portion of the cell consists of the electrode units or plates A, each of which include an iron cathode 11 and an aluminum anode 12, separated by a fiber gasket 13 which prevents seepage of water between them. Rivets 14 are used to assemble and electrically connect one iron cathode 11, one aluminum anode l2, and an intermediate gasket 13 as shown in Figure 1. This structure, it will be observed, is a unit and is therefore more easily inserted or removed than a similar number of electrodes if composed of separate plates.

The cathode and anode plates 11 and 12 and gaskets 13 are formed from sheets of their respective materials by simple operations. Apertures 15, 16 and 17 are formed in the plates, the apertures 15 constituting the upward passage for the Water and the apertures 16 constituting the downward passage, while the a ertures 17 receive the securing rivets. Tl fe gaskets 13 are designed to prevent water seepage between the plates, as such seepage might result in the formation of a local circuit which would injuriously affect the operation of the cell.

A plurality of the electrode units A are superposed between the plates 5 and 6, and are spaced apart by waterproof gaskets 18, which are shaped as shown in Figure 4. These gaskets form electrolytic chambers 19 within the separated electrode plates, through which the influent water passes tortuously, as indicated by the arrows, in its upward course, until it reaches the topmost chamber from which it descends through the aperture or channel 16, and passes to the sedimentation tank 10. The water during its upward movement is subjected to a continued electrolysis which decomposes salts contained therein, and causes the electrolytic products thus formed to oxidize matter in the raw water and purify the latter. Part of the products of electrolysis remain in the water, and later serve to precipitate or clarify it.

The chemical action of our improved electrode units isas follows Water to be purified commonly contains sodium, calcium, and magnesium salts, notably chlorides, carbonates, and sulfates.

These salts are partially dissociated into their ions, while some of the products of dissociation are further subject to hydrolysis, producing in addition hydrogen and hydroxyl ions. During the electrolysis, the acid radicals are liberated at the anode, combining with the aluminum, of which the anode is formed, thus producing aluminum salts. The hydroxyl ions are also liberated at the anode and they unite to form water and free oxygen.

In the cathode section, the alkaline earths and metals are liberated, and since the iron cathode is passive toward alkalies, they form Reaction #2hydrolysis of the carbonic acid:

Reaction #3between aluminum anode and chlorine:

A1+3ci=A1c1, Reaction #4b:.t-ween the hydroxyl ions:

lOHzQILO-f-O Reaction #5metallic calcium with water 2 Of the above reactions, Numbers 3 and 4 show the reactions in the anode section of the cell, equation Number 5, showing the reaction in the cathode section of the cell, while Number 6 shows the reaction resulting when the electrolytes from the anode and cathode sections mingle.

It will therefore be seen that the reagents for purifying water are oxygen and aluminum hydroxide. These are produced within the water itself, thus having greater efiiciency than could be obtained by their me chanical introduction. The oxygen of equation Number 4 is highly effective in destroying organic matter and deodorizin The aluminum hydroxide of Number 6 1s a coagulant or precipitant of well known virtue.

The hydrogen escapes as gas from the cathode plate. We find, therefore, that the net result is a reestablished balance between basic and acid ions in the water. The coagulant or metallic hydroxide is therefore obtained from the pure metal directly, in an insoluble form; and nothing is added to the water beyond the metallic hydroxides.

The calcium hydroxide in contact with aluminum would tend to form a calcium metaluminate, which is soluble, and passive towards the aluminum salts of the acids. This condition inhibits the formation ofthe hydroxides which are necessary to react with the aluminum salts of the acids. It will be seen from this that aluminum is not a good metal for use as a cathode'i'n the electrolytic production of coagulants for water purification.

On the other hand an iron anode is not desirable, as the iron hydroxide is less flocculent and less gelatinous than the aluminum compound, and when comparatively clear water is to be purified, if it contains large quantities of bacteria, aluminum is much to be preferred.

For this reason we have been led to adopt the bi-metallic plate described in the series cells used. Naturally, the end electrodes are of the single metal.

In assembling our cells, we may connect them in any desired manner to utilize the prevailing voltage. WVe prefer, in preparing the electrolytic cells, to have a standard number of plates for use within certain ranges of amperage density and feeding potential. To vary the current density, therefore, we dispose our cells in several arrangements as may be necessary. Some of the arrangements are shown in Figures 5.,"

6 and 7. These views are diagrammatic, and do not indicate the exact number of elements used between each unipolar electrode.

In Figure 5, all of the units are shown in series, the voltage being greatest across all of the cells, and the current density least. One end iron cathode 20, and one end anode 21 of aluminum, are used. I

In Figure 6, the structure shows a similar number of electrolytic chambers 19, but for use on a different voltage, or to give a double current density with the same voltage. In this arrangement, the two end electrodes 20 are iron cathodes, while the aluminum anode 21 is inserted at the center point of the tier. The current flows in opposite directions from the center. The anode 21 may be one of-the platesshown in Figure 3,

which is similar to one of the bi-metallic electrode elements, but without the rivet holes.

The structure shown in Fig. 7 is for use where a quadruple current strength is required. It resembles the. arrangement shown in Figure 6, but utilizes two intermediate anode plates 22 of aluminum, and one central iron cathode plate 23.

Without further description it is thought that the features andadvantages of they invention Will be readily, apparent to those for uniting said plates,

plates of adjacent skilled in the art, and it "will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may he resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope ofthe appended claims.

\Ve claim:

l. A composite bipolar electrode unit for electrolytic cells including an aluminum anode plate. and an iron cathode plate having an insulating sheet therebetween, means and both of said plates and sheet having openings.

2. A laminated electrode unit for electrolytic cells consisting of an insulation sheet, and iron and aluminum plates on opposite sides thereof, all of said plates having registering water-passage openings.

3. An electrolytic cell comprising unipolar electrode units and intermediate composite electrode units consisting of an insulation plate and iron and aluminum plates at each side thereof, and all of said plates having openings, a plurality of gaskets for spacing said units to provide chambers whose side walls are formed by the gaskets and whose top and bottom walls are formed respectively units.

4; An electrolytic cell comprising an aluminum terminal plate constituting the anode and an iron terminal plate constituting the cathode and a plurality of intermediate spaced apart composite electrode units adapted to be connected in series with said terminal plates and each including iron and aluminum plates insulated from each other, and said units having openings for permitting the passage of water.

5. A bipolar bimetallic electrode unit for electrolytic cells including an iron cathode plate and an aluminum anode plate, and an intermediate insulation plate.

In testimony whereof we hereunto aliix our-signatures in the presence of two wit messes FRAfiK HARTMAN. HARRY BUXTON HARTMAN.

\Vitnesses:

E. L. KING MABEL FREEMAN.

by the aluminum and iron 

